What Are Snapchat Streaks?

What Are Snapchat Streaks?

Put simply, Snapchat streaks are representative of how many days in a row you’ve Snapped a single person. You can have more than one streak going on at a time, of course, but the highest streaks–the ones that the internet is fascinated with–are from the person you’ve Snapped the most often.

There’s excitement and tension in equal quantities, especially as that streak number starts to climb higher and higher. Miss a day? Too bad! The streak has ended and you’re back at square one. Persistence is key, and having a Snapchatter to Snap at who’s just as excited about streak scoring as you are can take you a long distance.

Nothing sparks the fire of interest like competition, and Snapchat nailed this in one of the app’s 2015 updates. Ever since Snapchat began keeping track of the number of consecutive days that people speak to each other, users have been trying to achieve the longest (or “highest”) streak on the Snapchat app.

The Snapchat development team knows that social media tools aren’t enough to hold that razor-sharp, public edge that has attracted millions of people to the popular app. Rather than simply allowing users to keep in touch with each other, Snapchat has been adding new and innovative ways for people to engage with each other on a regular basis. Sometimes, as is the case with “streaks,” people are flat-out encouraged to compete with each other for overlapping higher scores.

It makes for a very compelling experience, and with the rate that the app is updated with improvements and new features, Snapchatters aren’t going to run out of things to do with their friends anytime soon. This trend is only bolstered by the fact that Snapchat has such a trendy, young crowd making up the majority of its user base. What better a demographic to embrace and pursue competitive features like Snapchat streaks?

The fact that you can be rewarded for continuously Snapping the same people for as many days in a row as possible has put some users in a fervor of constant contacting, and for everyone in Snapchat, this is fantastic to watch. The persistence and eagerness (often accompanied with refreshing creativity) have almost certainly inspired more people to join in the fun, and more yet to simply start using Snapchat so that they can learn what all of the fuss is about.

There’s only one unfortunate circumstance in all of this: there currently is not any type of implemented scoreboard that allows you to see other peoples’ Snap streaks! However, this isn’t purely a negative thing, since it has also prompted users to take to the web, boasting their Snap streaks with accompanying screen-grabs to serve as proof. Think of it as an “underground” Snapchat competition that has only fueled more excitement overall for Snapchat!

However, even though there’s no internal scoring mechanism, you can still collect your fair share of symbolic rewards through contact list emojis and trophy case awards. Many of them are symptomatic–one thing leads to another, and pretty soon you’re accomplishing goals you didn’t even know you had and earning rewards you didn’t even know existed.

Let’s talk about Snapchat streaks, and then illuminate some of the surprising ways that upping your Snap streaks can benefit your overall Snapchat use.